About the Black Sunday Dust Storm of 1935

DESCRIPTION:

Heralded “worst manmade ecological disaster in American history,” the Dust Bowl plunged America’s heartland into the dark ages with violent winds, dust storms, and drought. At the beginning of the 20th century, farmers dug up the natural grasslands and prairies, replacing the sawgrass and natural vegetation with wheat, corn, and barley. After years of drought, the topsoil disappeared and the Great Plains evolved into a veritable desert.

April 14, 1935, was a Sunday in Oklahoma, and it started relatively normal with light breezes and moderate temperatures. By early afternoon, the Texas and Oklahoma panhandle would completely change. Temperatures dropped quickly, and to the southwest, a massive black wall appeared on the horizon. As it drew closer, it became clear what it was. Thousands of feet high and over 1000 miles in width, the wall of sand swept over the land like a freight train, plowing through everything in its path. People caught in it found the dust so thick they could not see their hands before their faces.

Winds reached upwards of 60 mph. The air was thick with dirt; the sun blocked out. It was impossible to tell if it was night or day. The dust weighed heavy, crushing the lungs of cattle and clogging up water wells. The wind and sand blinded hundreds of people caught in the storm. All of this occurred in the 20 minutes it took for the dust gust to pass.

When it was all said and done, 2209 people died, 396 of whom were children, and another two million people were displaced. Entire towns disappeared from the map, and the dust storm became known as Black Sunday.